Standard Lemma guide

solemn

adj · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɒləm/
  • General-American: /ˈsɑləm/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒləm
  • CMU ARPABET: S AA1 L AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of or pertaining to religious ceremonies and rites; (generally) religious in nature; sacred.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: specifically

Topics: Christianity, lifestyle, religion

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Deeply serious and sombre; grave.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: austere, frightful, demure, serious, grave, earnest, grievous, lack-laughter, thoughtful, sad, sage, saturnine, sedate, solemn, solemncholy, sober, somber, sombre, staid, stern, sweer, weightsome, weighty

Antonyms: lighthearted, unserious

4

adj

Meaning 4

Inspiring serious feelings or thoughts; sombrely impressive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: awe-inspiring

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Cheerless, gloomy, sombre.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cheerless, comfortless, bleak, dark, morose, depressing, desolate, dire, disconsolate, dismal, doleful, dolesome, drear, drearisome, dreary, dreich, forlorn, gayless, gray, gloomsome, gloomy, grim, joyless, lack-laughter, lugubrious, melancholy, mirthless, miserable, no joke, saturnine, solemn, somber, sombre, spiritless, sullen, sunless, uncheerful, uncheery, unhappy, unmerry, wintry, woeful

Antonyms: cheerful, air-headed, blissed out, blissful, enrapt, rapt, cock-a-hoop, delighted, ecstatic, elated, euphoric, exultant, filled with happiness, giddy, gladsome, gleeful, greatly pleased, joyful, joyous, lighthearted, orgasmic, on cloud nine, over the moon, overjoyed, thrilled, walking on air

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • both sides were deeply in earnest, even passionate
  • an entirely sincere and cruel tyrant
  • a film with a solemn social message

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: earnest, sincere

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a grave God-fearing man
  • a quiet sedate nature
  • as sober as a judge
  • a solemn promise
  • the judge was solemn as he pronounced sentence

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: grave, sedate, sober

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English solempne, solemne (“performed with religious ceremony or reverence; devoted to religious observances, sacred; ceremonious, formal; of a vow: made under a religious sanction, binding; religious celebration, celebration of a feast day; famous, well-known; important; grand, imposing; awe-inspiring, impressive; grave, serious; dignified; enunciated or held formally”) [and other forms], from Old French solempne, solemne (“serious, solemn”) [and other forms], or from its etymon Late Latin sōlempnis, sōlennis, from Latin sōlemnis, from sollemnis (“appointed, established, fixed; common, customary, ordinary, ritual, traditional, usual; ceremonial, religious, solemn; festive; annual, yearly”) [and other forms]. The further etymology is uncertain; sollus (“entire, whole”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *solh2- (“whole”)) + epulum (“banquet, feast”) (in the sense of a ritual; perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h1ed- (“to eat”)) has been suggested.

Across languages

Translations

70 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: церемониален (ceremonialen) — of or pertaining to religious ceremonies and rites
  • Georgian: საზეიმო (sazeimo) — of or pertaining to religious ceremonies and rites
  • Italian: solenne — of or pertaining to religious ceremonies and rites
  • Macedonian: све́чен (svéčen) — of or pertaining to religious ceremonies and rites
  • Scottish Gaelic: sòlaimte — of or pertaining to religious ceremonies and rites
  • Serbo-Croatian: свѐчан — of or pertaining to religious ceremonies and rites
  • Serbo-Croatian: svečan — of or pertaining to religious ceremonies and rites
  • Swedish: ceremoniell — of or pertaining to religious ceremonies and rites
  • Danish: højtidelig — religious in nature — see also sacred
  • Finnish: pyhä — religious in nature — see also sacred
  • Macedonian: свет (svet) — religious in nature — see also sacred
  • Russian: свято́й (svjatój) — religious in nature — see also sacred
  • Russian: свяще́нный (svjaščénnyj) — religious in nature — see also sacred
  • Scottish Gaelic: sòlaimte — religious in nature — see also sacred
  • Afrikaans: plegtig — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Armenian: հանդիսական (handisakan) — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Bulgarian: официален (oficialen) — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Bulgarian: церемониален (ceremonialen) — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Catalan: solemne — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Dutch: plechtig — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Finnish: juhlallinen — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Finnish: juhlava — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • French: solennel — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • German: feierlich — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Latin: solemnis — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Macedonian: све́чен (svéčen) — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Macedonian: тр́жествен (tŕžestven) — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Occitan: solemne — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Polish: uroczysty — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Portuguese: solene — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Romanian: solemn — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Russian: торже́ственный (toržéstvennyj) — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Scottish Gaelic: sòlaimte — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Serbo-Croatian: свѐчан — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Serbo-Croatian: svečan — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Spanish: solemne — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Swedish: högtidlig — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Ukrainian: урочи́стий (uročýstyj) — characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality
  • Afrikaans: ernstig — deeply serious and sombre
  • Bulgarian: сериозен (seriozen) — deeply serious and sombre
  • Bulgarian: тържествен (tǎržestven) — deeply serious and sombre
  • Catalan: solemne — deeply serious and sombre
  • Dutch: ernstig — deeply serious and sombre
  • Esperanto: solena — deeply serious and sombre
  • Finnish: vakava — deeply serious and sombre
  • German: ernst — deeply serious and sombre
  • Italian: solenne — deeply serious and sombre
  • Korean: 숙연하다 (sugyeonhada) — deeply serious and sombre
  • Latin: solemnis — deeply serious and sombre
  • Macedonian: серио́зен (seriózen) — deeply serious and sombre
  • Māori: taumaha — deeply serious and sombre
  • Māori: pononga — deeply serious and sombre
  • Portuguese: solene — deeply serious and sombre
  • Romanian: serios — deeply serious and sombre
  • Russian: серьёзный (serʹjóznyj) — deeply serious and sombre
  • Scottish Gaelic: sòlaimte — deeply serious and sombre
  • Scottish Gaelic: stòlda — deeply serious and sombre
  • Spanish: solemne — deeply serious and sombre
  • Swedish: allvarlig — deeply serious and sombre
  • Bulgarian: впечатляващ (vpečatljavašt) — inspiring serious feelings or thoughts; sombrely impressive
  • Finnish: vaikuttava — inspiring serious feelings or thoughts; sombrely impressive
  • Macedonian: впе́чатлив (vpéčatliv) — inspiring serious feelings or thoughts; sombrely impressive
  • Portuguese: solene — inspiring serious feelings or thoughts; sombrely impressive
  • Romanian: solemn — inspiring serious feelings or thoughts; sombrely impressive
  • Scottish Gaelic: sòlaimte — inspiring serious feelings or thoughts; sombrely impressive
  • Finnish: ankea — cheerless, gloomy, sombre — see also cheerless, gloomy, sombre
  • Finnish: synkkä — cheerless, gloomy, sombre — see also cheerless, gloomy, sombre
  • Māori: pouruuru — cheerless, gloomy, sombre — see also cheerless, gloomy, sombre
  • Russian: мра́чный (mráčnyj) — cheerless, gloomy, sombre — see also cheerless, gloomy, sombre
  • Swedish: dyster — cheerless, gloomy, sombre — see also cheerless, gloomy, sombre